Grounds will return as a senior but not before reflecting on his season after being named the Victoria Advocate All-Area Most Valuable Player for boys basketball. Grounds was the Advocate's Newcomer of the Year last season.

How hard was it for you and your teammates to adjust to playing basketball after a long football playoff season?

We had to make some adjustments on offense. We weren't in (basketball) shape. Coach (Scott Cottenoir) said we had to shoot better if we wanted to make it to Austin.

How important was it for you and the other players to step up this season?

We lost a lot of starters (last season). Some of us were just barely juniors. We knew (some) of us were going to be back next year. We just know we have to take over.

When did the team realize its potential to be successful?

In the playoffs, we started feeling confident. We knew we had to play our game in order to make it. We knew it wasn't going to be an easy game (against Aransas Pass). It was really sad.

Though the team fell short of making it to the state semifinal game, what are you most proud of?

Making it that far, honestly. We knew we were going to have to get past AP in order to make it to Austin. We just need to keep on practicing so we can keep getting better.

Next year will be your last. How important will it be to finish your high school career with a better outcome?

We just need to do what we did last year to keep having success. It's going to feel good to just have momentum, just doing what we did this past year and try to be even more successful and keep the tradition going.